Fire rages in Proletarsk as Ukrainian drones strike oil depot
"There are our boys! Let's get out of here!" yells a Russian firefighter who recorded the moment of another fuel tank explosion in Proletarsk. The oil depot has been burning for the fourth consecutive day. On Sunday, the facility was attacked by Ukrainian drones. So far, 22 out of 74 tanks have burned down, and residents describe the situation on the ground as "catastrophic."
The fuel depot in Proletarsk was attacked on Sunday. Drone debris fell on one of the tanks, leading to an explosion and fire. Despite the firefighting operation that has been ongoing for four days, the situation could not be brought under control.
Approximately 500 firefighters, heavy equipment, firefighting trains, aircraft, and helicopters are engaged in the operation at the scene.
State of emergency after Ukrainian attack
According to the latest data, the fire has already consumed 22 out of 74 tanks, each with a capacity of 5,500 tonnes. Estimates suggest that the stored fuel is worth approximately £164 million, equivalent to the annual budget of an average Russian city.
The fire has already covered an area of about 10,000 square metres, and the smoke is visible even from satellite images. There are no evacuation plans for the population, and a state of emergency has been declared in the region.
The latest recording, showing the difficult situation firefighters are dealing with, has been published online. One of them recorded the moment of the tank explosion. "There are our boys! Run, let's get out of here!" yells the firefighter. The crew managed to escape.
Situation on the ground "catastrophic"
According to TASS, citing rescue services, 42 firefighters were injured during the four-day firefighting operation, five of whom are in serious condition.
Residents of nearby towns describe the situation as "catastrophic" and complain that it is not being reported on federal television. Authorities, despite air contamination, have not decided to evacuate the population. No warnings or recommendations have been issued either. The topic is completely ignored in Kremlin media.
